Trump businesses made millions from foreign governments during presidency: Democrats’ Report

A new report from House Democrats found that 20 foreign governments spent at least $7.8 million at properties owned by Donald Trump while he was president.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, led by ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD), put together the report comprising more than 100 pages that shows Trump’s businesses raking in millions from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and China.

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The report is a result of a nearly seven-year investigation started by late Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings and revives the claims that Trump illegally profited from his company while in office.

The report specifically looked into foreign governments’ spending at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, and the Trump World Tower in New York. It found that China spent the most money at these locations. Over the course of his presidency, China spent at least $5.5 million at Trump Tower and both Trump International Hotels. In addition, Saudi Arabia spent $615,000, and Qatar paid at least $465,000 for Trump-owned properties.

“The governments making these payments sought specific foreign policy outcomes from President Trump and his Administration,” Raskin said in a statement. “Each dollar former President Trump accepted violated the Constitution’s strict prohibition on payments from foreign governments, which the Founders enacted to prevent presidents from selling out U.S. foreign policy to foreign leaders.”

Democratic committee members claim that Trump’s companies accepting money from foreign governments violated the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause, which prohibits sitting presidents from taking money from foreign states without the approval of Congress, which Trump did not have.

Trump did resign from his post as head of the companies while he was president, but he did not place any of the assets into a blind trust as many experts said he should do.

Trump’s businesses and whether he legally profited from foreign governments have been litigated heavily in the past, rising all the way up to the Supreme Court, which tossed out the lawsuits in 2021.

The findings in the report are based upon information provided to the committee by Mazars, Trump’s former accounting firm, which was subpoenaed by then Oversight Chairman Cummings.

A Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

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House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) downplayed the report and said the real focus should be on President Joe Biden and the impeachment inquiry into his family’s business dealings.

“It’s beyond parody that Democrats continue their obsession with former President Trump,” Comer said in a statement. “Former President Trump has legitimate businesses but the Bidens do not. The Bidens and their associates made over $24 million by cashing in on the Biden name in China, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Romania. No goods or services were provided other than access to Joe Biden and the Biden network.”